3G (“third generation”) networks are widely deployed networks that provide users with a wide range of wireless services including wireless voice telephone, video calls, and broadband wireless data. Examples of 3G technologies include code division multiple access (“CDMA”) 2000, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and Evolution-Data Optimized (“EVDO”), which was originally referred to as High Data Rate (“HDR”). CDMA and EVDO refer to the same 3G technology but represent various evolutions of the 3G technology. WCDMA and HSPA refer to the same 3G technology but represent various evolutions of the 3G technology.
The CDMA standard is used for high-speed data-only services. CDMA has been standardized by the Telecommunication Industry Association (“TIA”) as TIA/EIA/IS-856 (see “CDMA2000 High Rate Packet Data Air Interface Specification,” 3GPP2 C.S0024-0, Version 4.0, Oct. 25, 2002, which is incorporated herein by reference. Revision A to this specification has been published as TIA/EIA/IS-856, “CDMA2000 High Rate Packet Data Air Interface Specification,” 3GPP2 C.S0024-A, Version 2.0, June 2005, and is also incorporated herein by reference).
The Universal Mobile Telecommunications Standard (UMTS) is used for both voice and high-speed data services. UMTS is a globally applicable set of technical specifications and technical reports for a 3G mobile system supporting UTRA Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) and Time Division Duplex (TDD), Global System for Mobile Communication (GSM) including General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EGDE) and Long Term Evolution (LTE). The UMTS standards are published and maintained by 3GPP which is also incorporated herein by reference.
The EVDO standard is used for the wireless transmission of data through radio signals, using multiplexing techniques including CDMA to maximize both individual user's throughput and the overall system throughput. EVDO was designed as an evolution of the CDMA 2000 standard that would support high data rates and could be deployed alongside a wireless carrier's voice services. Initially, the EVDO standard was named High Data Rate (HDR), but was renamed to EVDO after the standard was ratified by the International Telecommunication Union (“ITU”). (See P. Bender, et al., “CDMA/HDR: A Bandwidth-Efficient High-Speed Wireless Data Service for Nomadic Users,” IEEE Communications Magazine, July 2000; and Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (“3GPP2”), “Draft Baseline Text for 1xEV-DO,” Aug. 21, 2000).
Advances in telecommunications technology have brought forth a newly developed class of technologies referred to as 4G (“fourth generation”). Examples of 4G technology include Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”) and Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (“WiMAX”) telecommunications technologies. Generally, 3G networks, such as EVDO, have wide deployment. 4G networks, such as WiMAX and LTE, are deployed in a limited area (concentrated in larger cities, for example) and often have limited coverage area.
In telecommunications, the term handover or “handoff” refers to the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one radio node connected to a core network, for example using 3G or 4G technology, to another radio node. Generally, a “hard handoff” is one in which a communication with a radio node in a source cell is released and then the communication in a target cell is engaged. Thus, the connection to the source cell is broken before the connection to the target cell is established. A “soft handoff” is one in which the communications in the source cell are retained and are used in parallel with communications in the target cell. In a soft handoff, the connection to the target cell is established before the connection to the source cell is broken. A soft handoff may involve using connections to more than two cells, e.g., connections to three, four or more cells can be maintained by one handset at the same time.
Home base-stations, which are also referred to as “femto cells,” may be deployed in residences, in public hot-spot areas and in enterprises, e.g., company buildings or campuses, to provide wireless coverage using 3G and 4G technologies. With public hot-spot and enterprise deployments, femto cells are deployed as a connection of radio nodes that allow a handset to maintain a call while travelling through the physical domain of the enterprise. In order to maintain the call in current systems, an engineer or technician selects cell sites, puts up towers, designates one cell as a central controller, and configures the central controller to control mobility from one cell to another. Based on this manual configuration, as the handset transitions from one node to another, the call is maintained using one or more soft handovers.
The description uses the following acronyms:                HNB—Home Node B (e.g., a home base station)        CSG—Closed Subscriber Group        CSG Id—CSG Identifier, which includes a numerical identifier (“Id”). A CSG HNB advertises a CSG Id so that handsets with membership at the HNB can access the CSG. A HNB broadcasts its CSG Id in the broadcast channel.        UPnP—Universal Plug and Play        PnP—Plug and play        HNB-GW—HNB Gateway. A gateway that provides core network connectivity for HNBs.        REM—Radio Environment Monitoring. A HNB performs REM scans to discover its neighbors.        SIB—System Information Blocks. SIBs are broadcast by a HNB on the broadcast channel and include control information for the handsets.        UUID—Universally Unique Id. UPnP devices are uniquely identified by a UUID.        UE—User Equipment, e.g., a handset.        PSC—Primary Scrambling Code. A physical identity on the HNB, which may be reused by geographically distant/separated HNBs.        UDP—User Datagram Protocol. A transport layer protocol for use with an internet protocol (“IP”) protocol suite.        RNC Id—Radio Network Control Id. A unique numerical Id of the HNB-GW within a network.        SCTP—Stream Control Transmission Protocol. A transport layer protocol for use with the IP protocol suite.        Cell Identity—A unique numerical identity for the HNB within the network.        